ALBEDO 0.39

A clever musical extrapolation of our planet Earth using it`s albedo ( reflecting ratio of incident light) metaphorically to explore the signifigance ( or insignifigance if you like ) of our existence in the vast oblivion of the cosmos.

Rumoured to be a candidate at one point to replace Rick Wakeman in Yes, Vangelis utilizes an impressive array of keyboards to achieve his point(s). On this outstanding work it is more than evident that Mr. Vangelis not only studied classical music while attending The Academy of Fine Arts in Athens during the 1950`s. His intricate knowledge of astronomy and space is effectively applied to his virtuosic musical prowess on Albedo 0.39 where he writes, plays and produces the whole thing. In addition to his keyboard wizardry he also demonstrates some superb drumming skills.

Some might be familiar with the opening track Pulsar as well as the track Alpha which have been used by many news and science programs as intro themes including the local news show in my hometown of Montréal. When I bought the album back in 1978 I not only realized how appropriate Pulsar was with it`s "pulsing" synth and drum accents for the news show but also how beautifully and accurately it evokes the creation of pulsars which originate as a result of supernovae explosions. The whole concept of the album sort of reminds me of the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey except that physically, Albedo 0.39 makes it only as far as the moon. Mare Tranquillitatus ( sea of tranquility ) uses Ligeti sounding synth treatments which contrast ominously with recordings of the transmissions to Earth from the Apollo 11 astronauts walking on the surface of the moon for the first time on August 20, 1969. The Main Sequence refers to the shifting effect of billions of stars as they change position on the Hertzsprung/Russel diagram which measures the comparative age of stars from the time they become stable enough for nuclear reactions to occur within them represented by a flurry of drum and synth interlplay in a sort of compressed time interpretation. Many other astronomical references are made throughout this wonderous observation of space & time each with well thought out musical phrasings. One cool effect is the recording of the talking clock which measures Greewich mean time sort of comparing our terrestrial time to the theme of the granduer of space where time can be manipulated by speed and energy.

Although synthesizer dominated, for the most part the album is a little upbeat to be considered in the Klaus Schulze / Tangerine Dream category mainly because of the drum workouts ( Vangelis is all over the kit at times ) and some fusion influenced sections although they are enough ambient like keyboard soundscapes to break up the more exciting moments.

I t was very refreshing to hear an album with space theme with an empirical approach rather than the drugged out sci fi/fantasy freakout trips many bands such as Hawkwind and Eloy take us on. The album concludes with a narrator ( whether or not this is Vangelis himself I am not certain ) who could be pictured as a scientist standing at a podium in a planetarium lecture hall against a slide show backdrop with space images praising Mother Earth by thoughtfuly reciting various empirical Earth data and finishing off with informing us that the Earth`s Albedo is 0.39.

Recomended for the adventurous listener, one of the most interesting and thought provoking albums from Vangelis loaded with masterful studio artistry.